Tag Archives: Danny Sullivan

About 726 days ago Blogging and Social Media

What Facebook’s Like Button Can Do For You

facebook-logo-featured

The stats compiled by Search Engine Land’s ed-in-chief Danny Sullivan come straight from Facebook, but none the less shed light on how Facebook’s so-called social users can super charge web site referrals, page views, and—even—revenue. READ MORE »

About 1360 days ago Search Engine Optimization

Bing, Twitter, and the New Search Landscape

our beautiful site

Move over Google. There’s a new search in town. Live search’s the name and finding data online in real time is the game. New options for combing the Internet to find up-to-the-minute information and recommendations on websites, blogs, and social networks are lessening the stranglehold major search engines have on the search process. Two practitioners of live search are Bing, the revamped search engine Microsoft rolled out in June, and Twitter. Google and Yahoo are countering with improvements of their own that take the public’s growing fascination with social media into account. Search engines new and old use proprietary mathematical formulas to crawl websites and return results, which explains why your company’s pages may rank higher on one compared with another. Even though they’re all a bit different, small businesses don’t need to do custom search engine optimization (SEO) work for each and every one — it’s not worth it, says Danny Sullivan, a search engine expert and editor of SearchEngineLand.com. Here’s what else you need to know to navigate the new search landscape: Bing Ten years ago, people used search to find information stored online. Today they’re just as likely to use it to make a decision, like what brand of smartphone to buy or where to go out to dinner. Microsoft retooled Bing to be better at providing results for decision-based queries, says Melissa Powell, a Bing senior product manager. Microsoft research found 30 percent of all queries dealt with travel, shopping, health, or location, so Bing was designed to bring information from those categories to the top of a results page, Powell says. The company also partnered with information sources such as WebMD and the Mayo Clinic so when you search for health data “You get it from a trusted source instead of a sea of blue links from TrustMeJoe.com,” she says. Bing’s redesigned results page includes a left-hand column that displays related results and a list of a user’s older searches show up in a left-hand column — upgrades to the interface made based on how people actually search, Powell says. Small businesses can use the discussion forums on Bing’s Webmaster Center to hash out search-related issues with other webmasters, Powell says. “We’re taking a transparent approach with webmasters to get the most out of Bing,” Powell says. Microsoft’s also opened up Bing’s application programming interface (API) so software developers can create their own Bing-based apps. An early example of what those apps could look like is BingTweets.com, a mashupMicrosoft created with Twitter that fuses search results from both services. Bing is also powering search on Facebook. “Folks spend a lot of time on Facebook and this makes it easy to search where you’re spending time,” she says. Twitter You might not think of Twitter as a search engine. But more people are using it to ask questions and get answers from their network of followers. “It’s the lazy way” to search, says Sullivan, the search engine expert. Twitter’s taken several steps to play up its search function. The network’s Search window now has a prominent spot on a user’s main page — in the right-hand navigation column under their @replies and Direct Messages. A new Saved Searches function lets you perform a keyword search once, hit a “Save this search” button and store the search term under a Saved Searches link that opens to show a constant stream of real-time comments on the subject. Twitter also redesigned its front page to emphasize its search capability, listing the most popular search keywords at any given moment across the bottom of the page. By using keyword searches or hash tags — another popular Twitter device for tracking what people are talking about — a small business could follow conversations happening about their product, service, or industry. If you’re a business that rents houseboats you could follow people asking about houseboat vacations and reply to one of their comments with information they could use in planning a trip, Sullivan says. While the majority of Americans and small businesses still don’t use Twitter, “there’s an incredible adoption rate,” he says. Google None of this means small businesses should stop caring how their companies show up in Google and Yahoo searches. Live search may be in the spotlight, but Google’ still No. 1 and coming up with its own innovations to keep it that way. That includes improving localized search and mapping tools, and integrating video into search results, Sullivan says. Google and Yahoo now search blogs, so if your company doesn’t have a blog, it’s a good time to start one, Sullivan says. “Companies are rushing toward Twitter and forgetting what a blog can do. If someone’s searching on a topic you could have your blog show up in the search results.” Over the next few months, Yahoo plans to roll out a redesign of its Yahoo Search results page. New search tools will let you limit results to certain type of content – only videos or message boards for example – or restrict results to Yahoo partners or other sources you know and trust. Another advanced search feature will figure out what you’re searching for based on your past queries. As search engines evolve to cover all kinds of content, small businesses do too. If search results are expanding to cover things like video, companies need to make sure they’ve got something that’ll show up in results.. It doesn’t have to be expensive. Even posting a short clip from a webcam onto YouTube on a subject you know about is another way to ride into the top results on Google, Sullivan says. Many small businesses don’t realize Google, Bing, and other major search engines have local listings. Your company will show up in searches regardless. But if you go into the search engine’s index and fill in additional details and keywords it could help push you up in the results, Sullivan says.

About 1483 days ago Search Engine Optimization

How to Hire an SEO Consultant

our beautiful site

In four and a half years since Sarah Shaoul started a website for BlackWagon, her children’s boutique in Portland, Oregon’s trendy Mississippi Avenue neighborhood, she’s worked with four search-engine optimization consultants. Believe her when she says a search engine optimization (SEO) specialist that’s a good fit for a small business is hard to find. The first SEO expert Shaoul used was her business partner at the time and didn’t know as much as he claimed. The second SEO consultant did some great work but never really grasped her store’s high-end business concept, and after he raised his rates she couldn’t afford him any more anyway. Then there was the guy who stopped returning phone calls — he checked in eventually to say he’d changed his business’ direction and no longer did SEO work. Shaoul is happy with her current SEO advisor, but only because they spent considerable time up front hammering out exactly what the specialist was going to do. Says Shaoul: “Every time we hire someone we gain a little more insight.” According to Internet marketing experts, Shaoul’s experience is par for the course for small businesses looking to hire outside SEO help to promote an online store or just improve their standing in Google searches. In many cases, small businesses don’t know where to look for SEO specialists, or once they find candidates, don’t ask the right questions to separate the good from the bad. “A lot of people approach it like it’s magic,” says Danny Sullivan, editor of Search Engine Land, an SEO industry news website. “But really it’s like finding a dentist or plumber. You’re hiring another service professional, someone to do a very specific job.” Where to find SEO candidates Small businesses like Shaoul’s are barraged by cold calls or e-mails from consultants promising to improve their rankings in organic or paid searches. “99.9 percent of the time you should ignore them,” Sullivan says. “Those kinds of pitches tend to be from low-cost, low-quality people.” Good people are too busy working they don’t need to make cold calls, he says. Instead: Ask business acquaintances who they use, or get referrals from your professional network on LinkedIn, Sullivan says. If they recommend someone who’s too busy or pricey, ask that person to recommend someone. “They may know someone who’s starting to build a client base” who’d be willing to work for less, he says. Look up SEO consultants through a local or national SEO trade group, such as theSearch Engine Marketing Professional Organization. The national group has a searchable database of members on its Website that can be used to find SEO contractors by their specialty. Once you’ve identified prospective candidates, check out testimonials or case studies on their website. If there aren’t any or if they’re very old, stay away, says Kent Lewis, president at Anvil Media, a Portland, Ore. interactive marketing agency. Ask for three references, then ask for three more to get an even broader perspective, Lewis says. Proposals and fees When you find someone who clicks, work up a proposal. SEO and search engine marketing specialists offer a broad range of services, everything from performing website assessments to optimizing sites for keyword searches to undertaking an extensive paid search campaign. It also helps to have a budget in mind going into negotiations, Sullivan says. Being as specific as possible about both will help an advisor come up with a game plan, he says. While overall SEO fees depend on the kind of work that’s done, fee structures can be all over the map. SEO professionals may charge by the website page, hour or project, or ask for a set monthly retainer to cover a pre-determined amount of work. Some even take a small percentage of whatever revenues are generated from their work, according to Lewis, the Anvil Media executive. Other advice from the pros: Beware of guarantees — Anyone who guarantees your website’s position in paid or unpaid search engine keyword rankings. If they make guarantees, they may be using “black hat” methods to bend or break generally accepted SEO practices to get those results, methods businesses should steer clear of, Lewis says. Guarantees “are smoke and mirrors and most of the time if they don’t make it they won’t make good on their promise,” he says. Use a local — Hiring a hometown SEO specialist could be helpful if it makes you comfortable, but it’s not necessary, according to SEO experts. Regardless of where they’re located, it’s smart to check with the Better Business Bureau in the consultant’s home town to see if they’ve received any complaints. Find someone who understands your business – Share what you’ve accomplished so they’re not suggesting things you’ve already done, says BlackWagon’s Shaoul, who learned those lessons the hard way. Have your company’s Webmaster or Website developer sit in on meetings with the SEO consultant to translate jargon, Shaoul says, “so you can focus on what you do well.”

About 1483 days ago Search Engine Optimization

How to Hire an SEO Consultant

our beautiful site

In four and a half years since Sarah Shaoul started a website for BlackWagon, her children’s boutique in Portland, Oregon’s trendy Mississippi Avenue neighborhood, she’s worked with four search-engine optimization consultants. Believe her when she says a search engine optimization (SEO) specialist that’s a good fit for a small business is hard to find. The first SEO expert Shaoul used was her business partner at the time and didn’t know as much as he claimed. The second SEO consultant did some great work but never really grasped her store’s high-end business concept, and after he raised his rates she couldn’t afford him any more anyway. Then there was the guy who stopped returning phone calls — he checked in eventually to say he’d changed his business’ direction and no longer did SEO work. Shaoul is happy with her current SEO advisor, but only because they spent considerable time up front hammering out exactly what the specialist was going to do. Says Shaoul: “Every time we hire someone we gain a little more insight.” According to Internet marketing experts, Shaoul’s experience is par for the course for small businesses looking to hire outside SEO help to promote an online store or just improve their standing in Google searches. In many cases, small businesses don’t know where to look for SEO specialists, or once they find candidates, don’t ask the right questions to separate the good from the bad. “A lot of people approach it like it’s magic,” says Danny Sullivan, editor of Search Engine Land, an SEO industry news website. “But really it’s like finding a dentist or plumber. You’re hiring another service professional, someone to do a very specific job.” Where to find SEO candidates Small businesses like Shaoul’s are barraged by cold calls or e-mails from consultants promising to improve their rankings in organic or paid searches. “99.9 percent of the time you should ignore them,” Sullivan says. “Those kinds of pitches tend to be from low-cost, low-quality people.” Good people are too busy working they don’t need to make cold calls, he says. Instead: Ask business acquaintances who they use, or get referrals from your professional network on LinkedIn, Sullivan says. If they recommend someone who’s too busy or pricey, ask that person to recommend someone. “They may know someone who’s starting to build a client base” who’d be willing to work for less, he says. Look up SEO consultants through a local or national SEO trade group, such as theSearch Engine Marketing Professional Organization. The national group has a searchable database of members on its Website that can be used to find SEO contractors by their specialty. Once you’ve identified prospective candidates, check out testimonials or case studies on their website. If there aren’t any or if they’re very old, stay away, says Kent Lewis, president at Anvil Media, a Portland, Ore. interactive marketing agency. Ask for three references, then ask for three more to get an even broader perspective, Lewis says. Proposals and fees When you find someone who clicks, work up a proposal. SEO and search engine marketing specialists offer a broad range of services, everything from performing website assessments to optimizing sites for keyword searches to undertaking an extensive paid search campaign. It also helps to have a budget in mind going into negotiations, Sullivan says. Being as specific as possible about both will help an advisor come up with a game plan, he says. While overall SEO fees depend on the kind of work that’s done, fee structures can be all over the map. SEO professionals may charge by the website page, hour or project, or ask for a set monthly retainer to cover a pre-determined amount of work. Some even take a small percentage of whatever revenues are generated from their work, according to Lewis, the Anvil Media executive. Other advice from the pros: Beware of guarantees — Anyone who guarantees your website’s position in paid or unpaid search engine keyword rankings. If they make guarantees, they may be using “black hat” methods to bend or break generally accepted SEO practices to get those results, methods businesses should steer clear of, Lewis says. Guarantees “are smoke and mirrors and most of the time if they don’t make it they won’t make good on their promise,” he says. Use a local — Hiring a hometown SEO specialist could be helpful if it makes you comfortable, but it’s not necessary, according to SEO experts. Regardless of where they’re located, it’s smart to check with the Better Business Bureau in the consultant’s home town to see if they’ve received any complaints. Find someone who understands your business – Share what you’ve accomplished so they’re not suggesting things you’ve already done, says BlackWagon’s Shaoul, who learned those lessons the hard way. Have your company’s Webmaster or Website developer sit in on meetings with the SEO consultant to translate jargon, Shaoul says, “so you can focus on what you do well.”

About 2303 days ago Search Engine Optimization

How to Learn Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization (SEO) is fast becoming a must-have body of knowledge for business owners. Nearly 91 percent of all Internet users resort to a search engine to find information, according to a recent survey by the non-profit Pew Internet and American Life Project. The question is: how easily can they find your business? You already could be making costly mistakes, such as a home page that is almost all images and little text, causing your site to have unnecessarily low rankings and little traffic. Or worse, you could be using hidden text and winding up with an every more onerous problem because some search engines ban sites that use tricks to improve rankings. Whether you are a do-it-yourselfer or you use an outside SEO firm, the more you know the more effective and successful your business can be online. I’ve assembled the five best categories of resources for business owners to learn about SEO and search marketing. To help with this article, I interviewed Jennifer Laycock, editor-in-chief of Search Engine Guide, a website designed specifically for business owners and entrepreneurs.  Conferences and seminars Attending search engine conferences is the fastest way to learn because it immerses you in the subject. When you are starting out, choose events designed to give well-rounded instruction in basic principles, such as Jill Whalen’s High Rankings seminars. Don’t go to advanced events intended for industry experts until you first learn the basics — trust me, you will just feel frustrated.  However, there is one good reason for a newbie to attend events targeting industry professionals, such as Search Engine Strategies conferences.  That’s to find and interview SEO vendors.  At no other venue will you find so many search professionals in one place at one time.  Books There are a few excellent eBooks — downloadable PDF documents — suitable for beginners.  The best eBooks typically come with a package of extras, such as lifetime updates, private forums, sometimes even money-back guarantees.  Aaron Wall’s SEO Book  is widely acknowledged as one of the best. Laycock’s own Small Business Guide to Search Engine Marketing is another I would recommend, because it focuses on SEO from the perspective of a business owner who is not a search expert.  Printed books, another possibility, are less expensive ($15 -$30 for printed books versus $75 – $100 for eBooks). The disadvantage is that printed books can get out of date quickly because search constantly changes. Tactics accepted several years ago, such as doorway pages, today may get your site dropped by search engines. If you opt for a printed book, make sure it is reasonably recent. Newsletters and blogs One of the great things about the Web today is that we are lucky to have so many excellent free newsletters and blogs on search.  Among newsletters, Jill Whalen’s High Rankings is notable, because she answers real-life questions from readers.  Among blogs designed for business owners, a particularly helpful one is Small Business SEM.  Carston Cumbrowski also has a helpful page of resources for SEO beginners. Search Engine Land  featuring search guru Danny Sullivan, is a good one to add to your reading list later on as your knowledge builds. It is industry focused, but has the advantage of experts who write on specific topics such as link-building and contextual advertising — not to mention its excellent blogroll of search sites to explore. Discussion forums As you begin to learn some of the basics of SEO, you will have questions.  Head to discussion forums to get answers.  Discussion forums are excellent sounding boards to bounce ideas off of others. Try Webmaster World and Digital Point Forums. When you first approach a new discussion forum, read and observe for a while before jumping in to participate.  Every forum has a “personality” all its own — make sure you feel comfortable.  Observing also helps you learn which participants’ advice to trust. Some participants are more knowledgeable than others. Interactive tools No article on search for newbies would be complete without mentioning some of the excellent free or low-cost tools available.  I have learned a great deal simply through using tools such as: WordTracker keyword tool — Using relevant keywords in your site content and when purchasing search ads can make all the difference in attracting visitors who actually buy. You may already know the obvious keywords, but WordTracker helps you broaden your choices to identify non-obvious terms. A free trial or a single day’s subscription costs around $8. Analytics programs — These help you understand which parts of your site visitors use most, such as which navigation links they click on most. Armed with that knowledge, you can make changes to your site to emphasize the most important elements to increase sales and newsletter signups. Google Analytics is a robust free analytics tool.  For those who run Google AdWords campaigns and do not like the idea of giving sensitive site data to the same company you purchase ads from, ClickTracks is an alternative.  ClickTracks offers a free version called ClickTracks Appetizer. SEO Moz page strength tool — This interactive tool gives you a quick snapshot of some of the factors search engines consider when determining site rankings.  Don’t take it as the complete word on ranking factors, but do have fun with it.   Anita Campbell is a writer, speaker and radio talk show host who closely follows trends in the small business market at her site, Small Business Trends.

About 2303 days ago Web Analytics

How to Learn Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization (SEO) is fast becoming a must-have body of knowledge for business owners. Nearly 91 percent of all Internet users resort to a search engine to find information, according to a recent survey by the non-profit Pew Internet and American Life Project. The question is: how easily can they find your business? You already could be making costly mistakes, such as a home page that is almost all images and little text, causing your site to have unnecessarily low rankings and little traffic. Or worse, you could be using hidden text and winding up with an every more onerous problem because some search engines ban sites that use tricks to improve rankings. Whether you are a do-it-yourselfer or you use an outside SEO firm, the more you know the more effective and successful your business can be online. I’ve assembled the five best categories of resources for business owners to learn about SEO and search marketing. To help with this article, I interviewed Jennifer Laycock, editor-in-chief of Search Engine Guide, a website designed specifically for business owners and entrepreneurs.  Conferences and seminars Attending search engine conferences is the fastest way to learn because it immerses you in the subject. When you are starting out, choose events designed to give well-rounded instruction in basic principles, such as Jill Whalen’s High Rankings seminars. Don’t go to advanced events intended for industry experts until you first learn the basics — trust me, you will just feel frustrated.  However, there is one good reason for a newbie to attend events targeting industry professionals, such as Search Engine Strategies conferences.  That’s to find and interview SEO vendors.  At no other venue will you find so many search professionals in one place at one time.  Books There are a few excellent eBooks — downloadable PDF documents — suitable for beginners.  The best eBooks typically come with a package of extras, such as lifetime updates, private forums, sometimes even money-back guarantees.  Aaron Wall’s SEO Book  is widely acknowledged as one of the best. Laycock’s own Small Business Guide to Search Engine Marketing is another I would recommend, because it focuses on SEO from the perspective of a business owner who is not a search expert.  Printed books, another possibility, are less expensive ($15 -$30 for printed books versus $75 – $100 for eBooks). The disadvantage is that printed books can get out of date quickly because search constantly changes. Tactics accepted several years ago, such as doorway pages, today may get your site dropped by search engines. If you opt for a printed book, make sure it is reasonably recent. Newsletters and blogs One of the great things about the Web today is that we are lucky to have so many excellent free newsletters and blogs on search.  Among newsletters, Jill Whalen’s High Rankings is notable, because she answers real-life questions from readers.  Among blogs designed for business owners, a particularly helpful one is Small Business SEM.  Carston Cumbrowski also has a helpful page of resources for SEO beginners. Search Engine Land  featuring search guru Danny Sullivan, is a good one to add to your reading list later on as your knowledge builds. It is industry focused, but has the advantage of experts who write on specific topics such as link-building and contextual advertising — not to mention its excellent blogroll of search sites to explore. Discussion forums As you begin to learn some of the basics of SEO, you will have questions.  Head to discussion forums to get answers.  Discussion forums are excellent sounding boards to bounce ideas off of others. Try Webmaster World and Digital Point Forums. When you first approach a new discussion forum, read and observe for a while before jumping in to participate.  Every forum has a “personality” all its own — make sure you feel comfortable.  Observing also helps you learn which participants’ advice to trust. Some participants are more knowledgeable than others. Interactive tools No article on search for newbies would be complete without mentioning some of the excellent free or low-cost tools available.  I have learned a great deal simply through using tools such as: WordTracker keyword tool — Using relevant keywords in your site content and when purchasing search ads can make all the difference in attracting visitors who actually buy. You may already know the obvious keywords, but WordTracker helps you broaden your choices to identify non-obvious terms. A free trial or a single day’s subscription costs around $8. Analytics programs — These help you understand which parts of your site visitors use most, such as which navigation links they click on most. Armed with that knowledge, you can make changes to your site to emphasize the most important elements to increase sales and newsletter signups. Google Analytics is a robust free analytics tool.  For those who run Google AdWords campaigns and do not like the idea of giving sensitive site data to the same company you purchase ads from, ClickTracks is an alternative.  ClickTracks offers a free version called ClickTracks Appetizer. SEO Moz page strength tool — This interactive tool gives you a quick snapshot of some of the factors search engines consider when determining site rankings.  Don’t take it as the complete word on ranking factors, but do have fun with it.   Anita Campbell is a writer, speaker and radio talk show host who closely follows trends in the small business market at her site, Small Business Trends.